Chemical Spills

Prevention, Assessment, Reporting and CleanupUpdated 6/29/99

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Objectives Create Awareness of State and Federal OSHA

& EPA regulations that affect spill clean-up Explain responsibilities Provide strategies to

prevent spillsassess hazards presented by spillsreport spills when neededclean-up spills when appropriate

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Regulations OSHA 1910.120 - Hazardous Waste Operations

and Emergency Response (1991) very specific training and procedures are mandatory for

reporting of and response to chemical spills that are considered HazMat incidents.

A HazMat spill is one where there is an immediate danger to life and health

most lab spills are not HazMat incidents

Numerous EPA regulations control hazardous waste

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Responsibilities Researchers are responsible for:

– Ensuring spills are reported or cleaned up in a timely manner– Cleaning up nuisance spills of materials in their area, even if someone

else spills them(janitors, service people)– knowing the properties of the materials they are working with– taking reasonable steps to prevent spills

HazMat team will:– Assist researchers who are not comfortable cleaning up spills in their

areas (even nuisance spills)– Clean-up serious (HazMat) spills

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Nuisance Spills

Spills ofless than 4L of material that you know thehazards of and are comfortable cleaning up thatyou have the ability to clean up

assess the hazard wear appropriate PPE

If you are unsure of the hazard of a spill or need assistance with PPE selection,

call Safety

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Potentially Hazardous Spills

Spills of– greater than 4L– smaller spills of materials of

low LD50

carcinogens flammable liquids or metals compounds of unknown toxicity

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Preventing Spills

Eliminate clutter Know proper work practices for biological,

chemical materials you use Use unbreakable secondary containers Store chemicals properly Dispose of waste and excess chemicals in a

timely manner

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Preparation What are the physical and toxicological properties of

the biological and chemical materials you use? What is the worst thing that could happen if you

dropped/spilled a bottle of each chemical you use?– inconvenience– skin burns– fire– chemical exposure ( fatality? permanent injury?)

Hazards Toxic Flammable Caustic Reactive/Explosive Radioactive Other?

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You are the expert on the hazards of materials in your possession. know properties of biologicals/chemicals you use before

you handle them Know what appropriate work practices are & use them know what the worst case scenario is for a spill of the

chemicals you use Think about how you will react to a spill of the materials

you use know what appropriate clean-up procedures are for the

materials you use

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Toxic MaterialsAssessing the risks due to the toxic

effects of biologicals/chemicals Route of exposure Acute Toxicants Corrosive Substances, Irritants and

Allergens Carcinogens Infectious materials

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Examples of materials with a High Level of Acute Toxicity

Acrolein Diazomethane Hydrogen cyanide Hydrogen fluoride Biological toxins; Tetrodotoxin, snake venoms Osmium tetroxide Beta-mercaptoethanol

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Toxicity of commonly used chemicalsChemical OralLD50

(rat, mg/kg)Skin

LC50 (rabbit)Inhalation

LD50 (rat, ppm 1/ hr)

Acetone 5800 no data 50100 8 hr

Acetonitrile 2460 982.5 7551 8hr moderately toxic by skin absorption

Acrylamide 124 400 NA moderately toxic by ingestion, skinabsorption. OSHA Carcinogen

Methanol 5628 15800 6400 4 hr

Methyl Isocyanate 51.5 6.1 6 hr 220 acutely toxic by skin abs, ingestion

Tetrodotoxin 3.8X10-3mg/kg no data no data one of the most toxic substancesknown to man

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Flammability Hazards

Location, location, location Ignition sources Ventilation Other fuels in the area

– Don’t store more than 10 gallons of flammable liquids outside of flammable liquid storage cabinets per laboratory

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Flash Point - The lowest temperature at which a liquid has sufficient vapor pressure to form an ignitable mixture with air

near the surface of the liquid Chemical Flash Point

Acetone -2.2 FAcetonitrile 42.0 FMethanol 51.8 FDiethyl Ether - 54.0 FGasoline - 45.0 F

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Caustic Chemical Hazards

Acids & Bases (organic and inorganic) ex. : HCl, NaOH, phenol, triethylamine

skin burns permanent eye damage inhalation hazardsKnow the differences in hazards between

concentrated vs. dilute solutions

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Carcinogens

The OSHA Select Carcinogen List

Biological MaterialsBSL1- defined & well characterized strains of viable

microorganism NOT known to cause disease in healthy adults. Examples: Bacillus subtilis and infectious Canine hepatitis.

BSL2 - a broad spectrum of indigenous moderate -risk agents present in the community and associated with human diseases of varying severity. With good technique, these agents can be used safely on open benchtop when potential for aerosolization or splashing is low. Examples: Hepatitis B virus, Salmonellae spp, and Toxoplasma spp. Hazards are mainly due to the potential for needlestick (autoinnoculation) or ingestion exposure.

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BSL3 - Indigenous or exotic agents with a potential for respiratory transmission, and which may cause serious and potentially lethal infection.

Examples: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Coxiella burnetii.Hazards include autoinnoculation, ingestion, and exposure to

infectious aerosols.

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Where to obtain hazard information on the materials you use.Howard Hughes Medical Institutehttp://www.hhmi.org/science/labsafe/lcss/tlisting.htm

Safety Home Page - MSDSABSA-American Biological Safety Association

CDC- Center for Disease Control

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Chemical Spill ResponseNuisance Spill

Alert people in immediate area of spill Wear appropriate protective gloves, goggles, long sleeve labcoat Avoid breathing vapors from the spill Confine spill to small area& absorb on absorbent pads &/or kitty litter Clean spill area with soap & water Collect all contaminated absorbent, gloves & residues in plastic bag

lined garbage can Label and dispose of properly (call Environmental)

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Chemical Spill Response Potentially Hazardous Spill

Attend to injured or contaminated persons and remove them from the exposure if you can do so without endangering yourself

Alert persons in the immediate area to evacuate the lab If spilled material is flammable, turn off heat and ignition sources Call Spill Emergency Close doors to affected area Have a person knowledgeable of incident and laboratory assist

HazMat personnel.

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Biological Spill ResponseBSL1 Spill Wear disposable gloves Soak paper towels in disinfectant and place over spill area Place towels in Biohazard bag for disposal Clean spill area with fresh towels soaked in disinfectant.

BSL 2 Spill Alert people in the immediate area of the spill Put on appropriate protective equipment Cover spill with paper towels soaked in absorbent materials Pour a freshly prepared 1:10 bleach solution around the edges of the spill, then

into center area Allow a 20 minute contact period Dispose of as in BSL 1 procedure

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Radioactive Spill ResponseThe person who uses or purchases radioactive material

is responsible for cleaning it up if it spills.Nuisance Spills -Nuisance spills contain less than 1,000Ci of less than

100Ci of other isotopes can be cleaned up, decontaminated and monitored under your own supervision.

Large Spills - Larger spills than those above must be cleaned up in the following manner:

Materials of high vapor pressure -leave the area, post “Do not enter” signs on all doors, seal entry ways leading into affected areas and call emergency.

Do not resume activities in the contaminated area until approved by the RSO.Non-Volatile materials - may be cleaned up and decontaminated on your own. You

must report the spill and swipe test results to the Authorized User and the RSO.Contamination of areas beyond the spill can easily occur if you walk through or spread the

radioactive materials during cleanup. Don’t leave the spill area without monitoring your shoes, body and hands. Remove all contamination or contaminated items before leaving the area.

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Radioactive Spill Clean-up ProceduresProtect people and contain the spill: Alert people in the immediate area of the spill Ask for help and confine the spill immediately Step away from the spill- remove contaminated

clothing(gloves last) Have someone cover the spill with absorbent mats or paper

towels while you decontaminate yourself &fellow workers Wash off contaminated skin for three to five minutes with

soap and water. Call the nurse Report all incidents of personal contamination to the RSO

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Radioactive spill clean-up

Wear appropriate gloves, splash goggles or safety glasses and a lab coat.Soak up the spill with paper towels or spill pillows.Use tongs top to place all clean-up materials into a radioactive waste plastic bag.

Put broken glass into a properly labeled steel can.Apply cleaning solution, wipe area from edge to center, dispose of as above.Monitor the area with a 100cm2 swipe for each ft2 of spill. Repeat the cleaning

process if >200dpm is found in any swipe. Repeat monitoring.Many spills will need to be cleaned 5-7 times to achieve adequate decontamination. Dispose of gloves, wash your hands.Label waste bag accurately and put into a radioactive waste pail.

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Estimating Potential Hazards Research hazards before you use a new biological

agent or chemical Consider the toxicity, flammability, physical state

and the amount of the material involved. Consider the location of the spill Consider your knowledge and skills Ask for help in estimating hazards call Safety

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Summary Know the properties of all the hazardous materials you

handle Prevent spills If a potentially hazardous spill occurs, protect people first,

evacuate & ask for help Call Engineering for EMERGENCY spill/fire assistance Call Safety for information and non-emergency assistance You are responsible for reporting or cleaning up spills of

materials you use